New PAF chief: A quiet achiever

The man with the golden wings is a silent achiever.

This is what is said of incoming Philippine Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Nestor Santillan, father of four, by his colleagues and subordinates in the PAF.

Married to Enya Gabor Santillan, the new Air Force chief is a veteran of the military’s campaigns in Min-danao, particularly in Sulu.

Born in Manila on May 14, 1948, Santillan graduated from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1970 and was a classmate of Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Roy Cimatu, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane and Army commander Lt. Gen. Dionisio Santiago.

Having entered the PAF as a commissioned officer, Santillan held the following key positions in the Air Force: assistant chief of air staff for personnel; assistant chief of air staff for intelligence; commander of the 410th Maintenance Wing; commander of the 220th Heavy Airlift Wing and commander of the Air Force Tactical Operations Command (TOC).

Santillan sharpened his military airman’s skills by training at the Maxwell air force base in Alabama and other military air facilities in the United States and pursued further studies at the University of New South Wales, Australia.